We’re all familiar with the constant barrage of political news leading up to the election. But how many of us really know what’s going on behind the scenes?

From Wisconsin to Florida, many NU students spent their summers diving head first into the 2012 election.

“It’s more grassroots when it comes to the local level worrying about who gets their yard signs,” Gugel said.

Mattias Gugel worked for a Wisconsin State Senator, and although he didn’t always face hard hitting politics, he found his experiences invaluable, especially concerning the polarizing environment in America’s Dairyland.

“Governor Walker was elected, then we had the recall of the governor, then we had the recall of all the state senators,” Gugel said.

Gugel says that he worked with a party that he supports. However, at least one student had a break filled with bipartisanship. Sophomore Wilson Shirley worked for both Democrat and Republican offices, leading him to the conclusion that he is more independent minded than he initially thought.

“I didn’t agree with both parties on  a lot of things, so I guess it sort of entrenched in me independency,” Shirley said.

Seeing both sides is a key component of election media coverage, something that Taylor Hiegel learned first hand when she worked as  an NBC runner at the Republican National Convention.

“We were running errands, walking people around. We were a mile away from all of your heroes,” Hiegel said.

Hiegel came away form the convention with  a sense of admiration for those covering the 2012 race.

“That just takes a lot of commitment and a lot of understanding of the political process that I really respect,” Hiegel said.

The three students saw different aspects of the election process this summer, but they could all agree on the importance of political engagement.